RR Institute of Management Studies

SUBJECT: CYBER SECURITY

B.COM/BBA(Gen&Avi)
MODULE 3: SOCIAL MEDIA SECURITY

1) What is social network?Give an example

Social networks are websites and apps that allow users and organizations to
connect, communicate, share information and form relationships.
People can connect with others in the same area, families, friends, and
those with the same interests. Social networks are one of the most important
uses of the internet today.
Example: social networking sites -- such as Facebook, Yelp, Twitter, Instagram
and TikTok

2) Explain different types of Social media?

a) Social networking sites
▪ Social networking sites allow people to connect with each other
through a shared online space. Users can like, share, comment
on posts and follow other users and businesses.
▪ Examples: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and
Snapchat
b) Media Sharing Networks
▪ Media sharing types of Social Media are used to find and share
photographs, live video, video and other kinds of media on the
web.
▪ They are also going to help you in brand building, lead generation,
targeting and so on.
▪ Examples: Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube
c) Discussion Forums
▪ Discussion forums encourage people to answer each other's
questions and share ideas and news.
▪ Discussion forums are very essential because they allow users to
ask questions and get answers from different people.
▪ Examples: Quora, Reddit, Digg
d) Blogs and community platforms
▪ These social media networks give you a place to publish your
thoughts on your job, current events, hobbies and more.
▪ Blogs are a great way for businesses and marketers to reach
and provide credible information to their target audience.
▪ Examples: WordPress, Tumblr, Medium

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e) Bookmarking networks
▪ Bookmarking networks are platforms where users save different
ideas, articles, posts and other content for later use.
▪ Many people also share links to lists of online resources.
▪ The purpose of these websites is to discover new content based
on shared interests and to discuss trends.
▪ Examples: Feedly, Flipboard,Pocket,StumbleUpon, Pinterest
f) Consumer Review Networks
▪ Using Customer Review networks will help you find out, share
and review different information about a variety of products,
services or brands.
▪ When a business has positive reviews on these networks, their
claims turn more credible because reviews on these networks
act as Social Proof.
▪ Examples: Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor
g) Social shopping networks
▪ These networks help people spot trends, share great finds,
make purchases and follow their favourite brands. They focus
on e-commerce, and the social element makes it engaging and
entertaining.
▪ Examples: Polyvore, Etsy, Fancy

3) Explain Social media platform?

Definition:Social media platforms refer to online platforms and tools that allow
people to create, share, and exchange information and content with others.
Examples of social media platforms include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn,
Twitter, and TikTok.etc
Facebook
• Facebook is the largest social networking site, with over 3 billion people
using it monthly.
• More than 200 million businesses (mostly small businesses) use
Facebook tools.
• Facebook can be used text, images, video content, and Stories.
• Facebook is a interaction between people, especially those from family
and friends.
YouTube

• YouTube is a video-sharing platform where users watch a billion hours of

videos daily.
• Besides being the second largest social media app.
• YouTube is often called the second largest search engine after Google, its

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parent company.
• So if you use video to promote your business, then you definitely need to
add YouTube to your marketing strategy.
• To get started, here’s how to create a YouTube channel for your brand.
WhatsApp
• WhatsApp is a messaging app used by people in over 180 countries.
• Initially, people originally used WhatsApp to send text messages to their
family and friends.
• Gradually, people started communicating with businesses via WhatsApp.
• WhatsApp’s business platform allows businesses to provide customer
support and share updates with customers about their purchases.
• For small businesses, there’s the WhatsApp Business app, while
enterprise businesses can use the WhatsApp Business API.
• As the most widely used messaging platform, WhatsApp can be a great
customer service channel for your business.
• Check out these WhatsApp Business user success stories.
Instagram
• As a visual social networking platform, Instagram is the place for
showcasing your products or services with photos or videos.
• On the app, you can share a wide range of content, such as photos,
videos, Stories, Reels, and live videos.
• As a brand, you can create an Instagram business profile, which provides
rich analytics of your profile and posts and the ability to schedule
Instagram posts using third-party tools.
TikTok
• TikTok (known as Douyin in China) is a short-form video-sharing app.
• it’s one of the fastest-growing apps in the world and recently overtook
Google as the most visited internet site.
• TikTok allows users to create and share videos between 15 and 60
seconds long
Telegram
• Telegram is a free messaging app that works across multiple devices with
no limits on media sizes.
• Telegram's distinctive feature is its end-to-end encryption for all
activities, including chats, groups, and media shared between participants.
Snapchat
• Snapchat focuses on photos and short videos (known as snaps) shared
between friends.
• It made the vertical video format popular, which eventually proliferated
on other visual social media apps like Instagram and TikTok.

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4) Explain Social media monitoring?

Definition:Social media monitoring means tracking hashtags, keywords, and
mentions relevant to your brand in order to stay informed about your audience
and industry.
It is the process of collecting social conversations and messages into a
database of useful information. Social media monitoring is the process of
identifying and determining what is being said about a brand, individual or
product through different social and online channels.
Here are some examples of what social media monitoring can help you achieve:
• Sentiment analysis: Understand how users feel about specific online
conversations (negative, positive, or neutral).
• ROI (return on investment): Identify if and how your money is paying off.
• Hashtags and keywords: Find the right ones to improve your social
media strategies and attract new customers.
• Trends: Identify popular themes, memes, songs, and topics in real time
and how your brand could jump on some of them to attract business.
• Share of voice: Understand the percentage of online conversations that
are about your brand vs your competitors.

Top Social Media Monitoring Tools

1. Hootsuite: Effectively track topics that matter—then respond quickly

2. Sprout Social:Intelligent, real-time social media monitoring with Sprout
3. Agora Pulse: Discover what people are really saying about your business
4. Zoho Social: Get real-time updates from your audience
5. Brand24: Smart social media monitoring for businesses of all sizes
6. Mention: Media monitoring made simple
7. Keyhole: Hashtag tracking for Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
8. Iconosquare: Instagram analytics and management platform
9. Tailwind: Social media monitoring for Pinterest
10. Sendible: Seize opportunities via social listening

Benefits of Monitoring Social Media

1. Brand awareness: Social media monitoring is a great tool to protect

your brand reputation and improve brand awareness. It enables you to
be aware in real time of what customers think and say about your brand
on social media while allowing you to be able to reply to them on the
spot.
2. Engage the right audience : Strong and meaningful relationships with
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the audience lead to more engaged customers and create fidelity

among your online audience. Social media monitoring allows you to
exchange with them, identify topics and trends they are interested in, as
well as learn more in-depth about your audience’s needs.
3. Competitor analysis: Your competitors are a great source of
information and data to help your brand improve and stay on top. With
social monitoring, your brand is able to know what they are up to,
understand what works best for them to see what could work for your
brand, and learn from their mistakes.
4. Market research: Monitoring helps you stay on track of trends and
customers’ sentiments or experiences. Your brand is able to know what
your customer thinks and feels about your brand products or services,
which enables you to adjust at any moment according to how the data
changes to evolve with your market.
5. Receive better insights from your audience: Customers can offer
useful insights and feedback on social media directly by tagging your
brands or via hashtags. You can easily test out how your audience
responds to each message, product, or content to identify quickly what
works best to create more curated and efficient content, as well as
high-demand services or products.

5) Explain Hashtag?
Definition:A hashtag is a type of tag used to describe topics on social
networking websites, most notably Twitter. Hashtags, like all tags, are a type of
metadata (data about data).
Hashtags are indicated as such because they are prefixed with the pound symbol
(#).
Examples: #tech
#CloudComputing
#FightClub
Features
▪ When it comes to social media, the hashtag is used to draw attention,
organize, promote, and connect.
▪ Hashtags refer to the usage of the pound or number symbol, "#," to
mark a keyword or topic on social media.
▪ It's used within a post on social media to help those who may be
interested in your topic to be able to find it when they search for a
keyword or particular hashtag
▪ It helps to draw attention to your posts and encourage interaction.
▪ The hashtag's use in social media is closely associated with microblogging
site Twitter.
▪ Hashtags can be a fun way to enhance communication and connect
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yourself to others discussing the same topic. They offer a

shorthand way of referring to a topic, providing context, or simply
adding humor or sarcasm to a message.

6) Explain viral content?

• To be ―viral‖ on social media means that a piece of content, such as a post,
video, or image,has become extremely popular and is being shared by a large
number of people on various social media platforms.
▪ Viral content is online content that achieves a high level of
awareness due to shares and exposure on social media networks,
news websites, aggregators, email newsletters and search engines.
▪ Typically, viral content reaches a large number of people within a
short timeframe by being frequently shared online. Some key
indicators that a piece of content has "gone viral" include:
− Millions of views/shares within days or weeks
− Getting shared exponentially through social platforms
− Sparking conversations, reactions, and engagement amongst a large
audience
− Getting picked up by mainstream media outlets
− Inspiring remixes, remakes, or spin-offs

7) Explain Social media marketing?

Definition:Social media marketing (SMM) is the use of social media platforms
to interact with customers to build brands, increase sales, and drive website
traffic.
features
▪ Social media marketing is a form of digital marketing that leverages
the power of popular social media networks to achieve your marketing
and branding goals.
▪ Social media marketing includes increasing website traffic, engagement,
brand awareness, and other marketing goals by designing various types
of content for different social media platforms. The content can be in
the form of videos, blogs, info graphics, or any other forms that have
the potential to go viral.
▪ If it’s done right, social media marketing can be beneficial to in several
ways:
− Increase brand awareness
− Boost conversions rates
− Improve search engine ratings
− Build top-funnel traffic
− Lower marketing campaign costs

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While Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter are the most popular
platforms, there are hundreds of others out there. They come in many flavours,
like — micro blogging, B2B networking, video sharing, content sharing,
bookmarking, Q&A, and so on
Pros and cons of Social media marketing
Pros
• May help companies enhance brand recognition easily
• Offers companies more cost-effective solutions with great exposure
• May be leveraged to increase website traffic and real-time feedback
• May be leveraged for targeted or specific engagements

Cons
• May be time-consuming to set up and maintain
• May be unpredictable, as different platforms may change algorithms
• May result in negative feedba ck displayed in a very public fashion

8) Explain social media privacy?

Definition: Social media privacy refers to the personal and sensitive
information that people can find out about you from your accounts.

tips to enhance social media privacy:

some tips to enhance social media privacy:
Privacy Settings: Review and adjust your privacy settings regularly on each
platform. Limit who can see your posts, personal information, and contact details.
Strong Passwords: Use strong, unique passwords for each social media account.
Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords
securely.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Enable 2FA wherever possible. This adds
an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification, such as a text
code or authentication app.
Be Mindful of Sharing: Think before posting. Avoid sharing sensitive personal
information, like your address or phone number, publicly. Be cautious about
sharing location-based information.
Regularly Review Permissions: Periodically review and revoke access for third-
party apps that are connected to your social media accounts. Some apps may have
access to more of your data than necessary.
Customize Audience: Use platform features that allow you to customize the
audience for each post. Not everything needs to be visible to everyone on your
friend list.

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9) What are the Challenges in online social network?

▪ Challenges:
1. Privacy Concerns: Users often share personal information, leading
to privacy breaches, identity theft, and data misuse.
2. Cyberbullying and Harassment: Online platforms can become
breeding grounds for cyberbullying and harassment, affecting mental
health and well-being.
3. Fake News and Misinformation: Social networks propagate false
information rapidly, influencing opinions and behaviors.
4. Addiction and Mental Health: Excessive use of social media can
lead to addiction, affecting mental health, self-esteem, and real-life
relationships.
5. Filter Bubbles and Echo Chambers: Algorithms personalize
content, creating isolated echo chambers where users are exposed
only to viewpoints similar to their own, limiting diverse
perspectives.
6. Online Disinformation Campaigns: Social networks are
susceptible to coordinated disinformation efforts that can manipulate
public opinion, influence elections, and sow societal discord.
7. Security Threats: Cyberattacks, phishing, and scams can exploit
vulnerabilities within networks, compromising user data and
security.

10) What are the Opportunities in online social network?

1. Global Connectivity: Social networks enable people worldwide to
connect, communicate, and share ideas effortlessly.
2. Business and Marketing: Platforms offer businesses a vast
audience for advertising, customer engagement, and market
research.
3. Information Dissemination: Social media facilitates the rapid
spread of information, raising awareness about various issues and
causes.
4. Community Building: Users can find like-minded individuals,
create communities, and mobilize for social change.
5. Education and Learning: Social networks serve as platforms for
educational content, fostering learning communities and sharing
knowledge.
6. Career Networking: Professional networks assist in career
growth, job hunting, and industry connections.

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11) What are the Pitfalls in online social network?

1. Over-reliance on Algorithms: Algorithms can reinforce biases, limit
exposure to diverse perspectives, and prioritize sensational content
over quality information.
2. Dependence on Engagement Metrics: Platforms often prioritize
engagement metrics (likes, shares) over content accuracy or depth,
encouraging clickbait and shallow content.
3. Lack of Regulation: The absence of robust regulations can lead to
unchecked spread of harmful content, misinformation, and
exploitation of user data.
4. Monetization vs. User Well-being: Business models focused on ad
revenue may conflict with user well-being, as platforms aim to
maximize user engagement.
5. Digital Divide: Not everyone has equal access to social networks
due to socioeconomic factors, creating a digital divide.

12) Explain Security issues related to social media?

1. Privacy Concerns: Social media often requires personal information
for account creation. Users may unintentionally disclose sensitive
data, leading to identity theft, stalking, or harassment.
2. Data Breaches: Cyber attackers target social media platforms to
access user data, including login credentials, personal details, and
private messages. These breaches can result in widespread identity
theft and financial loss.
3. Phishing Attacks: Malicious actors use social media to execute
phishing attacks, tricking users into revealing personal information or
clicking on harmful links that install malware.
4. Fake Accounts and Impersonation: Fraudulent profiles
impersonating real users or organizations deceive individuals. This
can lead to reputational damage or financial scams.
5. Cyberbullying: Social media enables anonymous or semi-
anonymous communication, fostering cyberbullying, harassment,
and hate speech.
6. Misinformation and Fake News: False information can spread
rapidly on social media platforms, influencing opinions, and
causing societal discord.
7. Addiction and Mental Health: Excessive use of social media has
been linked to addiction and mental health issues, including anxiety,
depression, and low self-esteem.
8. Geotagging and Location Tracking: Sharing location details on
social media can compromise personal safety and security,
especially when coupled with other personal information.
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9. Third-party Apps and Permissions: Users often grant extensive

permissions to third- party apps linked to their social media accounts,
risking data misuse and privacy breaches.
10. Employment and Reputation: Inappropriate content or behavior
shared on social media can negatively impact job prospects and
personal reputation.

13) Explain Flagging and reporting of inappropriate content?

▪ Flagging and reporting inappropriate content on social media
platforms is crucial for maintaining a safe and respectful online
environment.
▪ Here's a general guide on how it's typically done:
1. Identify the Content: When you come across something
inappropriate (e.g., hate speech, harassment, nudity, violence), take
note of it.
2. Check Platform Policies: Review the platform's community
guidelines to ensure the content violates their rules. Different
platforms have different rules and definitions of what constitutes
inappropriate content.
3. Flag or Report: Most platforms have a "Report" or "Flag" option
directly on the post. Click on it, and you'll usually be prompted to
choose a reason for the report (e.g., spam, abusive behavior,
nudity).
4. Provide Details: Some platforms allow you to provide additional
details or comments when reporting. Be specific about why you
find the content inappropriate and, if applicable, how it violates the
platform's guidelines.
5. Follow Platform Instructions: After reporting, the platform will
review the content based on its policies. They might take action by
removing the content, warning the user, or even suspending their
account, depending on the severity of the violation.
6. Monitor and Follow Up: While the process may vary, many
platforms send notifications about the actions taken or the status of
the report. If necessary, follow up or re-report if the content
remains unresolved.

14) Explain Laws regarding posting of inappropriate content?

▪ Laws around posting inappropriate content on social media can vary
widely by country and even within regions due to different legal
systems and cultural norms.
▪ However, there are some common principles and regulations that many
places uphold:
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1. Hate Speech and Discrimination: Many countries have laws

against hate speech, which includes content that promotes
violence or discrimination against individuals or groups based on
characteristics like race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual
orientation, or disability.
2. Defamation and Libel: Posting false information that harms
someone's reputation can lead to legal action for defamation or
libel. This includes both written and visual content that portrays
someone in a false and negative light.
3. Copyright Infringement: Using someone else's content
without permission can violate copyright laws. This applies to
images, videos, music, and other creative works.
4. Privacy Violations: Sharing private information, such as
someone's address, personal details, or intimate media, without
their consent can violate privacy laws.
▪ In India, there are laws and regulations that address the posting of
inappropriate content on social media platforms.
▪ Some of the key laws and guidelines related to this include:
1. Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and
Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021: These rules
introduced various regulations for social media intermediaries
and digital platforms in India. They outline obligations for
platforms to remove specific types of content within a specified
timeframe. They require platforms to appoint officers for
grievance redressal and compliance.
2. Indian Penal Code (IPC): Sections of the IPC deal with
offenses related to defamation (Section 499), obscenity (Section
292), and acts intended to outrage religious feelings (Section
295A), among others. These sections can be invoked for
inappropriate content posted on social media if it falls within the
purview of these offenses.
3. The Information Technology Act, 2000: Section 67 of this act
deals with punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene
material in electronic form. It prohibits the publishing or
transmitting of obscene content in electronic form.
4. Defamation Laws: Both civil and criminal defamation laws exist
in India, which can be applied if someone posts defamatory
content on social media.

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15) Explain Best practices for the use of Social media?

▪ Here are some best practices for using social media effectively:

1. Define Your Goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your
social media presence. Whether it's brand awareness, lead generation,
customer engagement, or something else, having clear goals will guide
your strategy.
2. Know Your Audience: Understand your target audience's
preferences, behaviors, and demographics. Tailor your content to
resonate with them.
3. Quality Content: Share valuable, relevant, and engaging content. This
could be in various formats like images, videos, articles, infographics,
etc.
4. Use Hashtags Wisely: Research and use relevant hashtags to increase
the visibility of your posts. But don't overdo it; use them sparingly and
appropriately.
5. Post Regularly: Consistency is vital. Develop a content calendar to
maintain a steady posting schedule, but avoid overposting – quality
over quantity matters.
6. Stay Up-to-Date: Social media trends and algorithms change frequently.
Stay informed about platform updates and trends to adapt your strategy
accordingly.
7. Community Building: Create a sense of community around your
brand. Encourage user- generated content, run contests, and involve
your audience in discussions.
8. Respect Privacy and Policies: Understand and comply with platform
guidelines, privacy policies, and copyright laws to avoid any issues.

16) Write a Case studies of Social media Security.

Security Case Studies:
1. Facebook-Cambridge Analytica Scandal (2018): Cambridge
Analytica harvested data from millions of Facebook profiles
without users' consent. This breach raised concerns about data
privacy and led to investigations, changes in Facebook's policies,
and CEO Mark Zuckerberg's testimony in front of Congress.
2. Twitter Hacks (2020): Several high-profile Twitter accounts,
including those of Barack Obama, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates,
were compromised in a Bitcoin scam. Hackers gained access to
accounts through social engineering attacks on employees,
highlighting the need for robust internal security protocols.
3. LinkedIn Data Breach (2021): Personal data of around 500
million LinkedIn users, including email addresses and phone
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numbers, was scraped and put for sale online.

4. TikTok's Privacy Concerns: TikTok faced scrutiny over its data
collection practices, especially given its Chinese ownership.
Concerns were raised about the potential
misuse of user data and its handling, leading to investigations
and debates regarding national security risks.
5. WhatsApp Privacy Policy Update (2021): WhatsApp faced
backlash after announcing changes to its privacy policy, allowing
greater data sharing with its parent company, Facebook. This led
to widespread concern over user privacy and data sharing
practices.
Security Measures:
▪ Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Adding an extra layer of
security to accounts.
▪ Privacy Settings Review: Regularly reviewing and adjusting privacy
settings.
▪ Strong Passwords: Using complex and unique passwords for
different platforms.
▪ Regular Updates and Patches: Ensuring apps and devices are
updated with the latest security patches.
▪ Awareness and Education: Educating users about potential
threats and best practices for staying secure online.

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